


No One In Derry Ever Really Dies

by Ashcantwrite



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eddie is brave, Everyone Is Alive, Fix It, Gen, M/M, Soft and sad, there's reddie but later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-11-28 21:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20973704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashcantwrite/pseuds/Ashcantwrite
Summary: The losers had killed IT, but they had also lost Eddie in the process. Yet you know what they say about Derry. Dead is never dead. When hearing this phrase most people would laugh or smile sadly, thinking that they meant “your lost loved ones are still alive in your hearts” or some bullshit like that, not in Derry though. In Derry: monsters are real, it’s normal for children to go missing at the age of 7, and miracles happen. Derry never seemed like a miracle type town, yet today- the biggest miracle of them all came into reality. The killer clown was dead, and unknown to the losers club, the death of IT sparked the resurrection of others.





	1. Even Lost Souls Get Found

The losers had killed IT, but they had also lost Eddie in the process. Yet you know what they say about Derry. Dead is never dead. When hearing this phrase most people would laugh or smile sadly, thinking that they meant “your lost loved ones are still alive in your hearts” or some bullshit like that, not in Derry though. In Derry: monsters are real, it’s normal for children to go missing at the age of 7, and miracles happen. Derry never seemed like a miracle type town, yet today- the biggest miracle of them all came into reality. The killer clown was dead, and unknown to the losers club, the death of IT sparked the resurrection of others.  
  
Eddie woke up only an hour after he had been presumed dead, left alone in the darkness. He slowly sat up, wincing at his immediate headache. As Eddie looked around him, he realized where he was. Still at the bottom of that cave, where he had first arrived with his friends. He called their names, voice scratchy and his tongue still tasting of blood. However the only injury was the stab wound on his cheek. His eyes whipped down to see his own hand still clutching on Richie's jacket, yet no large hole in his stomach. 

Eddie was alive, that factor alone made him smile. The smile quickly turning into a frown as his eyes started leaking tears. 

_ He was alive. _

_ He was alone _

_ His friends had left him alone. _

The tired man pulled his knees to his chest, still holding Richie's jacket close to him. _ How the hell was he going to get out of here _ . His eyes continued to stream tears down his face as he let out a quiet sob. He chest felt heavy, but he wasn’t sure if that was from his lack of breathing or phantom pain from just an hour earlier. Eddie tried using Richie's jacket to ground himself, but all he could smell was the sewer water and that made everything worse. He couldn’t breathe, _ fuck where was his inhaler when he needed it! _

“H-Hello?” Eddie was about to start full on hyperventilating when he heard the voice of a child. The voice sounded just as scared as he was. 

“Can someone h-help me? Bill..? Bill where are you..? I wanna go home” The small voice cried out. Wait a second, was that? No way it couldn’t be. Eddie wiped away his own tears, stood up still holding the jacket close, and walked towards the voice. The child continued to cry out for help and Eddie kept trying to find the source, along the way he found one of the flashlights left behind by his friends, he grabbed it and used it to locate the source of the voice. 

When he found the source he let out an involuntary gasp. “Georgie?” Eddie started at the small boy, still in his yellow raincoat and missing an arm. The small boy looked up at him with puffy red eyes. 

“C-Can you help me?” he sniffled looking up at Eddie. Without giving any kind of warning or reply, Eddie leaned down and gave Georgie a much needed hug. The child hugged back, Eddie seemed familiar to him, and also willing to help. Eddie stood up, still holding Georgie in one arm. 

“I’m going to get you out of here, Georgie.” Eddie said with the most confident smile he could muster up. 

“Thanks mister...h-how do you know my name? My dad said that I'm not supposed to talk to strangers.” The child still looked a little frightened.

“I’m a friend of your brother Bill. Do you remember his friend Eddie?” Eddie looked at him, and the boy nodded with a small smile. “That was me”. At those words the boys face grew into a large smile, it really was someone he knew! As Georgie hugged him again, another small voice spoke out.  
  
“E-Eddie? Eddie Kaspbrak?” It was the voice of a little girl, teeth chattering as she spoke. She sounded frightened and cold. 

“Who’s there?” Eddie raised an eyebrow at the sound, as a small girl walked into the light. She looked around thirteen years old, shaking and covered in mud. _No way._ “Betty Ripsom?” Eddie took a few cautious steps up to her. It really was Betty, first Georgie now her? The small girl nodded her head, arms folded in trying to preserve body heat. Eddie took the initiative to put Richie's jacket around her, and it seemed to help.  
  
“E-Eddie? Is that really you” More tears formed in her eyes.

“Yeah- I know I know I got old. Both of you have been gone for a while, but it’s still me.” and with that he now had Betty hugging his side. He thanked his past self for at least interacting with her more than once. “Do either of you know if any one else is down here?”. Georgie shook his head, but Betty nodded.

“I-I think I heard some other kids nearby” She looked up to Eddie as if he had all the answers, and right now, he’d have to pretend that he did. Eddie let Betty hold onto the flashlight, then he grabbed her small hand and slowly the three of them began to walk around the dark cave. 

Not even five minutes later they came across two kids cowering in a corner, a girl around the seven years old with a strange mark on her cheek, and a boy who looked around twelve with fluffy dirty blonde hair. The light startled them both as the two children looked up in fear at the group approaching them. Eddie greeted them calmly, “Hello, my name is Eddie, I’m here to help you.” However, neither child dared to move. 

“Please- please don’t hurt us” The girl whimpered, holding onto her friend. 

“Mr. Eddie won’t hurt you!” Georgie smiled at them. “He’s gonna take us home!”

The boy stood up out of his corner, his friend still latched onto him. He looked at Eddie with a glare like he was trying to figure out where he’d seen that face. “You’re one of those guys...from that restaurant.”

Eddies eyes opened a bit wider, “You’re that fan of Richie’s aren’t you! Listen kid, sorry for randomly yelling at you in the middle of that restaurant- we didn’t know what to trust at that point.”  
  
The boy gave Eddie a small smile, “Then another one of your buddies tried to save me- guess i should have listened to him”  
  
Eddie rolled his eyes, “Yeah, sorry about Bill. but are you two willing to come with us?”  
  
The boy nodded, then whispered something to his friend, she seemed to understand. ‘I’m Dean by the way, this is Vicky”  
  
“Eddie, This is Betty and Georgie”  
  
Once they all had exchanged names, Dean took Betty’s hand, and Vicky took Deans. All relying on Eddie to get them out. The walked through what seemed like miles and miles of dark caves, before finding something the resembled a sewer. No one was sure when the scenery changes, or how they got to a different place, but they were all grateful. The entire walk had been filled with Eddie’s poor attempts to cheer up the kids, and silences where Eddie would wonder if he could do this. If he could really bring all these kids to safety. Richie’s words kept ringing through his head anytime he had doubts.

_ You're braver than you think. _

_ You're braver than you think. _

_ You're braver than you think. _

He could do this, he had to do this. He had to get everyone home, to get Georgie back to Bill, Vicky, Dean and Betty back to their families, and he had to see Richie again. He had to be strong for these kids, because no one else was there for them.  
  
Eddies inner monologue of bravery was interrupted by another voice in the distance. Well a voice and a scream.  
  
“_S H I T”_

Well it didn’t sound like another kid, more like another adult.  
  
“Everyone stay close” Eddie turned back to tell his gaggle of kids as walked a little fast towards the voices. When they found the source, it was a man who looked like he was in his early 20’s and a boy who looked around 17.

“Hello?” Eddie called out, making both of the other two jump and look at him and the children. Eddie didn’t recognize the older man, but he’d know that other face anywhere. “Patrick Hocksetter?” Eddie’s eyes were wide, and even Betty, who was standing next to him, tensed up.  
  
“H-How the fuck do you know my name?” The teen tensed up, looking around for an escape route.  
  
“First off, watch your language, I’m literally holding a seven year old. Secondly, It’s Eddie, Eddie Kaspbrak.”  
  
Now it was Patrick's turn to widen his eyes. “Holy shit wheezy?? What the hell? You’re like 50- last I saw you were some little fairy twerp-”  
  
“Patrick, I will leave you here if you don’t watch your mouth. Yes it’s me. It’s the same person you and your friends picked on for many many years. It’s been 27 years since you went missing. You, Georgie, and Betty are still from the 80’s. And last I looked it was 2016.” Eddie let out a sigh, then turned to the other man, the one who he didn’t actually know “Sorry about that, what’s your name?”  
  
‘Adrian...Adrian Mellon” Adrian looked around at all the unfamiliar faces. “Are you here to get us out?”  
  
To that Eddie nodded, “Yes, Yes I am.”  
  
So two more pennywise victims had been resurrected and added to Eddie’s rescue party and continued their journey out of the sewers. 

“So- Mr. Eddie and Mr. Adrian, how come you two are down here. I thought the clown only went after kids.” Dean perked up. Eddie had come to learn in the short amount of time of knowing him, that Dean loved to ask questions.  
  
“I-” Adrian cleared his throat. “I got thrown over a bridge after getting beaten up. Some mean people didn’t like that-” His feet stopped as soon as his mouth did. “Oh my god Don” Adrian's hands went up to his chest as he tried to take back control of his breathing. Eddie turned around and noticed the signs, Adrian was about to have an asthma attack. He quickly put Georgie down and let go of Betty’s hand, each kid watch as Eddie moved swiftly over to Adrian. Eddie checked his own pockets for an inhaler, nothing. _Oh right he had to fucking burn it, stupid __ritual_.  
  
“Adrian do you have an inhaler on you?” Eddie looked concerned, but calm. The other man nodded, trying to move his hand to a pocket on his jacket, thankfully Eddie was faster and grabbed it out of the pocket then held it up to Adrian's mouth and puffing the medicine through his body. After a minute or two, Adrian looks to have calmed down enough to talk.  
  
“Sorry about that everyone...I just remembered Don…” Adrian put the inhaler back in his pocket and looked at Eddie, “How did you know what to do?” 

“I’ve got asthma too, and my...my friend used to help me through it anytime it got too bad.”

“Oh, well thank you..”

“No problem, by the way. Who’s Don?”  
  
“My boyfriend...we were together at that stupid carnival when these idiot teenagers beat me up and threw me over the bridge.”

Eddie gave him an apologetic look as he walked back over to pick Georgie up and take Betty’s hand again. Patrick looked like he was about to say something snarky when Eddie glared at him, then turned his attention back to Adrian. ‘Well I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you when we get out of here.”  
  
They continued their walk, it was silent for five minutes when Dean spoke up again. “Mr. Eddie, you never answered my question”. To which Eddie sighed and started to explain. 

“When my friends and I were kids back in the 80’s, we fought the monster that had been snatching up children. Georgie here is the younger brother to one of my best friends. He went missing, so Bill stopped at nothing to figure out where he was. We thought we had killed it back then, but apparently not. My buddy Mike called us all up 27 years later to tell us that it was back. So I came back to Derry, remembered things and people I didn’t even know I’d forgotten about. Then the six of us came down here and finally killed that stupid monster. In the process of doing that, I got injured to the point where I died right in front of my friends...so they just left me here. When I first woke up, I was mad at them for not taking me with them, but now...i’m glad they left me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to save all of you” Eddie was smiling, but he looked kind of sad. He turned to Georgie, “You’d be so proud of your brother, he grew up to become a famous writer. Everyone loves his books and the stories he tells.”  
  
“Did he ever get better at endings?” Georgie giggled.  
  
“No, no he didn’t but that’s very like him.” Eddie chuckled back. “You remember Richie? The loud one with the glasses? He now gets paid to tell jokes and make people laugh. He isn’t very funny to me, but it’s still very him.” Georgie was still giggling along as Eddie spoke.

“Not to interrupt- but who are your friends? Because It sounds like you’re talking about William Denbrough and Richie Tozier.” Adrian chimed in, he was from 2016, so he recognized those names as famous people.  
  
“That’s exactly who I’m talking about, we all grew up in Derry, Hocksetter back there used to torment us all the time. But now each one of the Losers Club is successful and somewhat famous or rich, I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Eddie continued to talk about his friends, as everyone intently listened. Eddie seemed to genuinely smile while talking about his friends, and Adrian was interested to hear about all the stupid stuff these somewhat famous people used to get up to in their youth. 

  


After what seemed like another hour the small group of resurrected victims saw what seemed to be a light. Dean was in the middle of telling a silly joke when Patrick yelled, “GUYS LOOK!”. Each one of them smiled widely. It was the light, it was daylight. They were finally going to be free and be able to live again.

Some dark thoughts in Eddie’s mind stopped him from getting immediately exited. What if they were all ghosts. What if no one else could see them,_ what if-_ He was literally dragged out of his thoughts but the group of kids pulling his arm into the light. Once his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he knew exactly where they were. Georgie jumped out of his arms and went to go play in the bright sun with the other kids, all crying and laughing out of pure joy of being alive.  
  
_The barrens_  
_  
_ _Wait wait, check for a pulse_, Eddie moved his now free hand up to his wrist. Please please please-. Eddie began to tear up. He had a pulse. He was alive. Eddie wiped the tears from his eyes and ran over to check everyone else’s. After he checked that everyone had an actual pulse and didn’t look as pale as a ghost in the bright sun, the only wounds being Georgies missing arm and Eddies face wound. He’s knees gave out as he plopped into the shallow water, he brought his hands to his face, and cried. 

“We’re alive. W-we’re actually alive.” He sobbed out. He missed the sun, he missed his friends, and he fucking missed Richie. _ Richie, oh my god Richie- Please still be in Derry. Wait for me you fucking idiot _. During his small sobfest, the others had crowded around him and all but Patrick was piled on top of him in a hug. He sniffled and let the other bodies move off of him before standing up. “Let’s get you all home. First stop- the town house. My friends can help me figure out where to take you all,” Everyone nodded in agreement, faces still red from tears, and creased from smiles. 

The walk to the town house was the longest walk of Eddie's life, He just wanted to see his friends so bad. He knows that they didn’t want to leave his corpse down there, he knows that they miss him too. Finally after what seems like another forever, arrived on the front steps to the townhouse. Georgie, now walking and holding on Eddie’s hand, tugged on Eddie’s sleeve.  
  
“Mr. Eddie, Will my brother still want to see me? You said it’s been...awhile...has he forgotten me?”

Eddie leaned down to his eye level and smiled, “Bill could never forget you, he was ready to fight the clown by himself, just to get you back. He’ll be more than happy to see you” then he stood back up and opened the door, holding it so everyone could walk in. The town house was so small, he could still feel that the losers where here. He cleared his throat, and spoke loudly. “Hello? Anyone still here?”  
  
He heard multiple gasps coming from the bar area, he quickly turned to Adrian. “Watch them for a minute, please,'' of course Adrian nodded, but Eddie had already turned his back to them and was walking towards to bar area. Where each one of the losers- besides Richie were sitting. As soon as he stepped into the door frame, clearly in their view, and clearly tearing up. He did something that was normally a Richie move.  
  
‘What? You started the celebration without me?”. He thought he sounded cool, like Richie always did, but no. he was crying while saying it. His friends faces had varying degrees of tears and faces of shock. Beverly was the one to talk first.  
  
“Eds...Eddie is that….” She couldn’t even finish her sentence. Eddie understood, not everyday you watch your friend die, only for them to walk through the door a few hours later. He just nodded and moved closer. Mike was the first one to touch him, Mike had grabbed his arms, as if checking if he were real.

“Checked for a pulse and everything- I’m back” Eddie spoke softly, trying to keep coherent sentences while tears streamed down his face. Ben put a hand on his shoulder, then pulled him in for a tight hug. Beverly, Bill, and Mike soon wrapping their own arms around him. He felt safe again, walking in those sewers for hours, felt like literal days, he thought he’d never get to feel a warm group hug again. After they had pulled apart, everyone was teary eyed, but Eddie still had to know. “Where’s Richie..?”

“He...He said he had to do something before he left Derry- all of his stuff is still here. So he’ll be back” Beverly explained, wiping the tears out of her eyes. 

“Eddie, I’m glad you’re okay...but how the hell are you here?” Ben asked, trying to find some kind of explanation. 

“After we killed Pennywise, some of his more recent victims got resurrected I guess...So” He smile then walked back to where the front room was, not a moment later the lost kids where behind him. “I had some help” Georgie was hiding behind Eddies right side, Betty behind his side. Adrian, Patrick, Dean, and Vicky next to Eddie. Everyone let out more gasps. “Everyone, this is Adrian, Dean, and Vicky, and i’m sure you remember Patrick, Betty and-”  
  
“G-Geor-Georgie” Bill cut him off, his face filled with joy, surprise and even more tears. 

“Billy?” The little boy peered his head around Eddie to look up at the much older version of his brother. Eddie gave him a nod and a pat on the back, as if to say ‘_ Yup, thats your brother’ _. Georgie ran from behind Eddie and into Bills arms, the tears were never ending in that moment. 

Bill hugged his younger brother tightly then looked up at Eddie. ‘You b-brought him b-b-back ho-home” 

“He’s the first one I found, then I found the rest of these guys. Can you help me bring them home. I’m sure their families are just as worried as Bill is.” The group nodded, “Thanks everyone...Dean’s is the easiest since he lives at Bill’s old house. 

“I know where Vicky lives! She’s my neighbor!” Dean piped up with a smile, excited to go home.  
  
“That makes things a bit easier” Mike spoke, only to be slightly interrupted by the door opening.  
  
“Makes what easier mik-” It was Richie, he had only heard mike speaking, so when he walked into the room they were all in, to see Georgie, Patrick, Betty and then his eyes finally landed on Eddie. He was completely speechless. _Was he still asleep? Was he dead too? Wait why was his face now wet? _“E...Eddie?” he croaked out, his voice two seconds from sobbing. Thankfully Eddie wasted no time in pulling Richie in for the best hug of his life.  
  
“I’m here Rich...I’m okay...So is everyone else” Eddie pulled Richie’s head into his shoulder, as Richie sobbed into it. He kept whispering “I’m alive, you’re not dreaming” into his ear. Eddie missed Richie so much, but Richie missed Eddie more. Considering Richie was the one to watch Eddie die in the first place.  
  
“How...how- Eddie I watched you- Eds you-” Richie still couldn’t form complete sentences, partly because his face was in Eddie’s shoulder. Much to Richie’s dismay, Eddie let go of the hug, but still help on Richies hand, showing no signs of wanting to let go of him ever again. Eddie went on to explain everything, waking up alone, finding Georgie and Betty, finding Dean and Vicky, finding Adrian and Patrick, helping Adrian through an asthma attack, walking for hours and hours through the cave and the sewers, finally finding the light, checking everyone pulse to prove that they were indeed alive. During his explanation, Dean chimed in to tell the losers that Eddie talks about them a lot, and how proud of them he is. 

In reality everyone was the most proud of Eddie. He had gotten himself out of panic attack, helped six lost kids and himself find their way back, and he was ready to walk them all home, he really acted like the leader they knew he could always be.


	2. The Kids Are Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids get to go home, safe and sound.

All Eddie wanted to do was to sit down with the losers and relax, his body was aching and his feet were ready to give out. He and the kids had been walking for almost five full hours. After he explained everything to his friends, Richie had been the one to make them all sit down. Eddie plopped down on the couch and let out a very tired sigh. Vicky and Betty followed behind, Vicky jumping up on his lap and Betty leaning on his side. Eddie had grown protective over these kids, and they had grown attached to him. Bill and Georgie were sat in the corner, Bill still working on believing all this. Patrick and Dean sat on the couch next to Eddie and the other kids. Ben had disappeared for a few moments, only to return with a first aid kit. Ben was kind enough to give Eddie a new bandage for the stab wound on his cheek, he checked over everyone else but to his surprise no one else was injured.

“Thanks Ben” Eddie sounded so exhausted.

“Yeah of course buddy, you just take a break. We’ll figure out how to take everyone back” Ben was always so nice, not saying that the others weren’t but Ben was always nice to Eddie. Ben walked back to the other losers, and without meaning too Eddie fell asleep, leaning his head against the back on the couch, the equally tired children pressed up against him looking moments from falling asleep.

“This is...this is weird, how in the world did he even get out of there…” Ben spoke quietly looking at Eddie then back to the losers. 

“He really is the strongest out of us” Mike sighed with a soft smile.   
  
“Lets help him take these kids home.” Bev nodded looking around at her friends, Ben and Mike were looking at her, but Richie’s eyes were still glued to Eddie. Richie’s eyes were still red from crying so much in one day. Eddie was there, Eddie was alive, Eddie was peacefully sleeping with Vicky on his chest, Betty and Dean leaning on his side, and Patrick laying opposite them with his legs laying across Eddies legs. Each of them still covered in dirty and gross water, but everyone was way too exhausted to care. The only one left awake was Adrian, who was standing near the losers, watching them all interact.   
  
“You guys will take care of him right?” Adrian spoke up for the first time since going to the town house. He looked at each one of them waiting on an answer. “I owe Eddie my life, so do all these kids. I know your his friends but he told us that you all left him down there.”  
  


“We thought he was dead...we had no choice-” Bev started to explain.

  
“I am never going to leave his side again…” Richie cut her off, still looking at the pile of sleeping bodies on the couch. Adrian knew that look, it was the same look that Don would give him whenever he was worried about him. The other losers seemed to look at Richie with a knowing sorrow filled look.

“You’re...Richie right?” Adrain asked looking only at Richie. He finally stopped looking at Eddie to nod at Adrian. “He talked a lot about you. Well not really talked, more like he kept muttering ‘Richie you bastard wait for me’ under his breath. Are you his husband or something?” 

“...N-No...He’s just my friend” If it hadn’t been for how much he’s already cried today, Richie may have cried at that question. Instead, he shook his head and looked anywhere but the faces of the people around him. 

“Oh- Oh I’m so sorry that I just assumed-” Adrian was desperately trying to apologize when a phone ringing cut him off. Everyone looked around for the source of the ringing. It was Mike’s phone. Mike reached into his pocket and his somewhat neutral expression was soon replaced by shock as he shakily brought the phone to his ear. 

“Hello..?”

“Mike? Its-”   
  


“Stan” Both Mike and the voice on the other end spoke in unison. The rest of the losers joined mike in looking shocked with a smile on their faces.  
  
“Is everyone else with you? I’m really sorry about not going to Derry when you asked, I just-”  
  
“No no no, it’s okay Stan. Everyone’s here...even a few faces from long ago. Today is just filled with miracles” Mike had tears in his eyes, as did everyone else. Bev was hugging Ben, both their faces plastered with euphoria. Richie couldn’t believe his ears, first Eddie now Stan? He must be dreaming. In all the commotion Bill walked over to the others, holding his brother in his arms. Mike was explaining everything to Stan over the phone. Finding the tokens, climbing through the caves, Eddie dying, coming back to the townhouse only to find that Eddie was alive and had found other resurrected victims, and now they had to take everyone home. Everyone was misty eyed. 

Stan explained to them that he had tried to kill himself, and thought he succeeded, but before he knew it. He had woken up in the hospital just as the doctors were about to give up on him. He apologized multiple times for being too chicken shit to actually go to Derry. He had even written letters to his friends before he did what he did. 

“We’ll come visit you after we take everyone home” Mike wiped away a stray tear with his hand. 

“Can’t wait to see you all again” Even through the phone, everyone could tell Stan was smiling.

* * *

After figuring out where to take everyone, decided it was time to wake up the pile on the couch. Eddie was the easiest to wake up, then it was patrick, then Dean and Betty. Vicky was still passed out on Eddie’s chest, her small hands latched onto his shirt. Once the other bodies were off of him, he just stood up, still holding a very sleepy child in his arms. The kids didn’t want to separate from Eddie, so they all tagged along as we went to return the kids to their homes. Mike also went with them, leaving Ben, Bev, Richie, Bill and Georgie at the town house.   
  
They used Mikes old truck to drive them around, the kids were super excited to ride in the bed of the truck and made Eddie ride back there with them. Adrian kept Mike company inside the vehicle. Vicky was first, since she was the youngest and they knew were her and Dean lived. 

Mike pulled up to the house and turned off the engine. Eddie got out of the bed of the truck, once his feet were on the ground he picked Vicky up and put her on the ground as well. She clung to his hand as they walked up to her porch. Eddie rang the doorbell and waited. 

After a few minutes the door opened up, a blonde woman stood there looking like she hadn’t slept in days.   
  
  
“Mrs.Fuller?” Eddie gives her a sympathetic look.   
  
  
“Yes? Who are you?” 

  
“I found your daughter.” Eddie looked down to where Vicky was holding his hand. Without any words, her mother swooped down and picked her up in a big hug. They seemed to be enjoying their reunion so Eddie smiled and silently left. 

He was half way back to the truck when he heard Vicky yell, “MR EDDIE! WAIT!” She ran up to him and gave him one last hug, Eddie knelt down to return the hug. “Thank you!”

“it's no problem at all, just stay safe from now on. Take good care of yourself Vicky” He smiled at the child, and stood back up to be greeted with another hug. This time it was coming from Vicky’s mother. She pulled back to ask him a question.    
  


“How on earth did you find her? Who even are you?” 

“Just someone who found a bunch of lost kids and decided to bring them back home.” 

Eddie gave his final wave goodbye before walking back over to the truck and helping dean out of the back. Vicky was safe with her mother, one down four to go.

Dean and Eddie walked a few houses down to Dean's house, which was exactly where Bill used to live. Eddie had almost forgotten what it looked like. Unlike with Vicky, Eddie let Dean go up to the porch and knock on the door himself. After a minute, the door opened and Dean was greeted with a scream and a hug from his parents. Eddie smiled at them, and turned to walk away, again getting stopped by someone calling out for him. This time it was Dean’s mother.   
  
“Excuse me sir? Are you the one who brought him home to me” She had walked halfway down the steps, behind her Dean stood next to his father, both of them smiling. Eddie just nodded. The woman in front of him nearly started sobbing right then and there, “Thank you...Thank you, you’re like a guardian angel”  
  
“No nothing like that” Eddie shook his head, “Just take care of yourself, all of you” he gave them another patient smile and hopped back into the bed of the truck with Betty and Patrick then drove off. 

* * *

  
  


At first they didn’t know where to take Betty and Patrick, they were both from the 80’s and no one was sure if either of their families were still alive. Thanks to Mike being great with faces, he knew that Betty’s mom was still living in Derry. She spent a lot of time at the library, she was still broken up about the events twenty seven years ago. The only hard part was trying to explain that Betty was the real Betty. After Mike drove up to the Ripsom’s house, and helped get her out of the truck, they began their walk up the house. Just as Eddie was about to knock, Betty spoke up.   
  
“I know...I know Mike said that my mom still lives here- but what if she doesn’t remember me? Or want me anymore?” She was looking at her feet, she was having the same doubts the rest of the losers club had. 

“Right after you disappeared, she stood outside of the school everyday, waiting for you to come out. She’ll want you back.” Eddie gave her a reassuring smile just like he did with Georgie and knocked on the door. The door soon opened, and Betty’s mom was standing there frantically looking around, she looked almost exactly like she did twenty seven years ago, just with her hair more grey than black.   
  
“Who are you? What do you want?”  
  
“Mrs. Ripsom, My name is Eddie Kaspbrak- do you remember me?”

“The young boy with the fanny pack? Goodness how you’ve grown- wha-what are you doing here?  
  
“This is a bit hard to explain...but I found Betty- now before you slam the door in my face, listen to me. Your daughter was taken by a monster back in the 80’s and that monster messed up time- so she looks like she did the day she was taken but…” He gestured to Betty, who was currently hiding behind him.   
  
“Hi...Hi mom” She timidly walked out from behind Eddie and gave a scared smile to her mother.   
  
“Betty…? My Betty..?” Her mother walked onto the porch and touched Betty’s cheek. After a minute of looking at the girls face, her mother broke out into tears and pulled her kid in for a hug. She planted kisses to her cheek and forehead through her tears. “My darling child- my baby-” She let go of her child to pull Eddie in for a hug, saying thank you over and over again.

Eddie pulled out of the hug after a moment with a smile, “It’s no problem, I’m just glad that I found her. I found a lot of kids that fell victim to the monster, I'm just taking them home.”  
  
“You were friends with that boy who lost his brother weren’t you? Did you find him?”

“Georgie? Yeah actually, him and Betty were the first kids I found.” that earned him another hug from Mrs. Ripsom. 

“Oh you absolute angel, I always knew you were the nicest one out of your little group”    
  


“Thanks, I think?” Eddie let out a small chuckle as Mrs. Ripsom let go of him, “Take of yourself Betty, and your mom too.” Betty smiled back at him and they started to go their separate ways, but then Betty remembered. She had been wearing Richie's jacket this whole time. She turned around and ran up to the truck just as Eddie was about to climb in the back.    
  


“Eddie wait!” She ran up to him, now carrying the jacket in her arms. “You almost forgot this”    
  


“Oh! Thanks Betty. Richie will probably want this back” He grabbed it with a smile.   
  
“Tell Richie and the rest of your friends I said thanks!” She smiled back, then ran back up to her house to go inside with her mother. Eddie threw on the dirty jacket, climbed into the back of the truck and they drove away. 

* * *

  
  


Patrick was the hardest one to figure out, Adrian was just waiting on Don to pick up Mike’s phone call. With Patrick, they didn’t know where to bring him. His parents had moved out of Derry a year after he went missing, then they had both passed away within the last few years. Mike had gotten a hold of Patrick's younger brother, who lived a couple towns over from Derry. So for now it was back to the townhouse.   
  
It was just Eddie and Patrick in the back of the truck, Patrick looked like he was deep in thought about something.   
  
“Hey uh- Eddie- I’ll probably be too cocky to say this in front of your other geek friends. But...thanks. Y'know for getting me out of that shit hole and trying to help me go home” He spoke to Eddie, but he couldn’t look at him.

“No problem man, you were an asshole to me when I was 13- that doesn’t mean that I would’ve just let you die down there. Not even you deserve that” 

“Yeah...uh...thanks...and uh-” Patrick let out a sigh and spoke quietly. “I’m sorry”

Eddie looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “What?”

“I said- I said I’m sorry. It’s either kill or be killed in this town Y'know. And I was mainly following Henry. Even Belch and Vic thought he was going batshit crazy last time I saw him- I was all for picking on you nerds, but then Henry actually started drawing blood.”  
  
“Ben still has that ‘H’ scar on his stomach, and all of us have traumatic memories thanks to you and your crew- Bowers actually got worse. He got sent to a mental institution for it. Broke out the same day that we all reunited and stabbed me in the face.” Eddie pointed to the bandage that was was sporting on his cheek.   
  
“Oh damn- he did always have a thing for knives. Speaking of Ben, I don’t think I saw him-”  
  
“You did”  
  
“Huh?”

“You got to see everyone else right? Ben was there. Tall, fit, standing closest to Beverly the whole time”  
  
“Holy shit- what- that was the little fat kid that we’d always beat up?”  
  
“Yup”

“He could break my spine-”

“He won’t, Ben isn’t one to hold a grudge. But you should still apologize to them like you did to me”   
  
“I- I don’t think I could do that”  
  
“The worst that will happen is Richie making fun of you- he’s the only one that hasn’t matured all the way. It’s simple but it will mean something.”   
  
The last few minutes in the truck were silent, then they returned to the townhouse. Once all four of them were inside, they sat and waited for both Don and Patrick’s brother. Inside the townhouse, Ben and Bev were talking, Bill was sat on the couch with a very tired Georgie asleep on him. Richie was sat at the bar, who was staring into his glass like it held all the answers. Mike quickly moved to console Richie. Patrick stood in the corner of the room, thinking about what Eddie had told him. 

* * *

An hour of strange silences and small talk later, Patrick's brother was as the door. He had let himself in, and quickly took notice of the large group of people in the bar room. He walked in with a natural smile on his face, looking around for his brother. Mike had talked to him on the phone and explained the situation.   
  
“Patrick?” He said looking around, eyes finally landing on Patrick's face.   
  
“H...Hey Avery…” Even though he hadn’t seen his brother in forever, and there was now a twenty three year age difference between the two, they both recognized each other.   
  
Patrick's brother turned to the losers, “Thanks for finding him- even if I don’t understand exactly what happened- I’ll take care of him”   
  
As Patrick quietly followed his brother to the door, he turned around just before he was out of sight of the losers. He took a deep breath, “I’m sorry for tormenting you all when you were younger, and thanks for helping me find my way home”. He spoke quickly then left the town house with his brother, leaving a strange air of silence. 

“Did...Did Patrick Hocksetter just...apologize? To us?” Richie was the one to break the silence, as usual. The group stared at the doorway, then turned to each other, finally they all looked at Eddie, hoping for some kind of explanation. 

  
“We had an interesting chat on the way back from the Ripsoms” Eddie shrugged and left it at that. 

* * *

The silence had resumed, with Eddie now sitting next to Adrian and Richie, Mike had sat down next to Bill on the couch, with Bev and Ben across from them. Finally, the last person they had been waiting for had arrived, Don.

“Hello?” He sounded confused, Adrian nearly dropped his glass of water at the sound of Don’s voice. 

“Don! In here!” He jumped out of his seat with a huge smile on his face.   
  
“A-Adrian?” Don almost shouted as he walked quickly towards the voice. Once they had locked eyes Adrian wasted no time pulling Don in for a massive hug, Don was crying into his shoulder. “B-but- I saw you- Tha-that _thing_...that thing h..hurt you”   
  
“Shhh...babe...i’m right here, I'm okay.” Adrian grabbed on of Don’s hands and placed it on his own heart, letting Don feel the heartbeat. After a moment, Don pulled his head out of Adrian’s shoulder and gave him a heartfelt kiss. Don’s lips tasted like salt thanks to his tears, after he pulled back he spoke. 

“I am never going to leave your side again.” He touched his forehead to Adrians, keeping a tight hold on his hand. Adrian smiled at him, then turned to face Eddie. He let go of Don’s hand just for the moment, to give Eddie a hug.   
  
“Thank you so much for everything.” He started off loud enough for everyone to hear, but then whispered “but don’t forget about yourself, you deserve happiness too Eddie” He let go with a smile, walked back to Don, grabbed his hand, and off they went.   
  


Everyone was home, everyone was safe, everyone was alright. 


End file.
